Social networking and peer to peer for TVs

ABSTRACT

A peer-to-peer (P2P) application which can be applied to TVs. The P2P application promotes a social networking aspect by allowing devices connecting to either the home mesh network and/or Internet to share contents and create common-interest channels. The P2P application does not require support from network infrastructure (e.g., no central servers), and consequently is extremely cost-effective and easy to deploy. The distributed nature of this system allows users to join or leave the network at will. It takes advantage of the local home mesh network connectivity, or existing Internet connections. A participant that tunes into a broadcast on an Internet channel is not only downloading a video stream, but also uploading it to other participants watching the program. Data mining systems capture user preferences and create personalized Internet channels on the TV using the P2P network.

I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to social networking and peer topeer communication using TV systems.

II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

TV systems are becoming increasingly capable, allowing customers to notonly enjoy traditional TV programming but also to undertake some tasksthat previously were considered to be computer-based. As understoodherein, certain of these tasks can be executed by TV systems to increasethe enjoyment and experience of interacting with the system. Among suchtasks, as recognized herein, are social networking with other peerhouseholds having appropriate systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A TV system includes a processor accessing a tangible computer readablemedium to execute a peer-to-peer (P2P) application promoting a socialnetwork by allowing a TV device connecting to either a home networkand/or Internet to share content and create common-interest channelswith TV systems outside the home network using P2P communication suchthat support from centralized servers for hosting content is notrequired. The P2P application allows users to join or leave the socialnetwork at will. A participant hosting video content from the local homenetwork or tuning into a broadcast via an Internet channel received bythe TV system receives a video, stream and also uploads the video streamusing P2P communication to other participants in the social network tofacilitate the other participants downloading or watching the program.

The processor may be in a TV or in a set box housed separately from a TVand connected thereto. In some embodiments the processor can access adata mining engine to generate targeted vide content and advertisingbased on output from the data mining engine, with the engine receivinguser channel and web site selections. A relationship can exist betweenuser selections and the P2P social network in that P2P user preferencesare captured and shared in a distributed P2P network. TV systemsconnecting to a wide area computer network automatically seek otherP2P-enabled TV systems and in concert therewith build/join aninfrastructureless P2P social network, such that no explicit Internetservers are required to maintain the social network.

In another aspect, a TV system includes a processor accessing a tangiblecomputer readable medium to connect to a wide area computer network andautomatically seek peer-to-peer (P2P)-enabled TV systems and in concerttherewith build/join an infrastructureless P2P social network, such thatno explicit Internet servers are required to maintain the socialnetwork.

In another aspect, a TV system includes a processor accessing a tangiblecomputer readable medium to detect that the system is connected to anetwork and to execute peer-to-peer (P2P) discovery of other TV systemsusing P2P network discovery. The processor also uses a P2P framework toestablish a social P2P network with other TV systems to sharevideo/audio contents, create personalized channels and help todistribute audio video content.

The details of the present invention, both as to its structure andoperation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an example system;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of example logic in accordance with presentprinciples; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of additional example logic in accordance withpresent principles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a system is shown, generally designated10, that includes multiple home networks 12 communicating with eachother using peer to peer (P2P) principles over a wide area network 14such as the Internet or a community “mesh” network. Existing socialnetworking websites or servers 16 may also communicate with the widearea network 14.

An example home network 12 can include one or more TV systems 18communicating with each other and with other home network componentssuch as game consoles 20, personal computers 22, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), cameras, etc. over a wired or wireless home network24. A TV system 18 may include a TV 26 with TV display 28 such as a flatpanel standard definition/high definition (HD) display for presenting TVprogramming under control of a TV processor 32. The TV programming istypically received from a source 34 of TV programming such as a cablehead end, satellite dish, terrestrial TV broadcast receiver, etc.through a TV tuner 36. The TV processor 32 may access one or morecomputer-readable media 30 such as disk-based media or solid state mediathat can store data and logic executable by the processor to undertakepresent principles. The TV may communicate with the wide area network 14using a network interface 38 such as but not limited to an Ethernet cardor a modem.

Additionally or in lieu of providing present principles internally tothe TV, the TV system 18 can include a set box 40 that may be internalto the TV or externally housed from the TV and connected thereto. Theset box 40 may include a set processor 42 accessing one or more computerreadable media 44 for undertaking present logic. The set box 40 may alsohave a network interface 46 for communicating with the wide area network14. A wireless remote control 48 may be provided for inputting usercommands to the TV system 18, the set box 40, and other home networkcomponents.

Now referring to FIG. 2, at block 50 when a TV system 18 detects that itis connected to either its home network 24 or to the wide area network14, it executes P2P discovery of other TV systems 18 using standard P2Pnetwork protocols, thus commencing the establishment of a specific (tocompliant TV systems 18) P2P network infrastructure. At block 52 thesocial networking website hosted by the server 16 can also be added tothe P2P network to serve as a publishing and announcing tool, while thedata contents will be stored locally in home network (e.g., a PC joiningthe P2P network, as well as TV systems with sufficient storage capacity.

At block 54, using the P2P framework established above, users withcommon interest can establish a social P2P network with each other toshare video/audio contents, create personalized channels and help todistribute large size HD content (e.g., premium content downloading).The P2P communication and resource discovery technologies can beimplemented by, e.g., Bit-Torrent. Other software platforms such asJava-based JXTA can also be used. In establishing a social network, anetwork name may be established for a published interest genre and thenusers can view the published information and decide whether to join thatparticular social network. As many social networks based on interest maybe established as dictated by the constellation of users.

As part of sharing content at block 54, reference is now made to FIG. 3,which illustrates principles of an example non-limiting data mininglogic. At block 56 a user makes programming selections by, e.g.,manipulating the remote control 48 to change TV channels, choosefavorite online videos from a website, etc. These user behaviors arecaptured by the TV and input to a data mining engine. The data miningengine may be any suitable processor-executable engine that can deriveuser characteristics, i.e., user likes (and dislikes) at block 58. Forexample, if a user routinely watches sports channels the engine canassociate the user's TV system 18 with “sports” but not with subjectsthat might be routinely shown on non-viewed channels or websites.

At block 60, using the characteristics at block 58 content isclassified, analyzed, and predictions can be made as to future userbehaviors/preferences. These policies can change dynamically asadditional user input is received for organizing and filtering contentsin the P2P social network and guiding the process to publish, at block62, a user's interest and share a user's existing contents in thenetwork (on, e.g., the social network server 16) using P2P sharingprinciples. User defined policies can also be added to further customizethe publication rules. The user interest and content can be published inmeta data format using XML to form special personalized channels whichcan be made to appear in a “content” section of a user interfacepresented on the TV display 28, e.g., on a cross-menu bar (XMB) userinterface.

The data on the user and the user's viewed content thus may be shared inthe P2P network (or even can be published in a common social networkingwebsite if a user prefers). Gracenote software can further assist intagging various audio/video content. The user behavior captured by thedata mining engine can also be used for generating customizedadvertisements for the user at block 64. With such a targeted approach,the advertisement can have a greater impact on the intended audience.

As recognized herein, different models for user authentication andaccessibility to the shared content may be implemented. Most contentcan, be openly shared between peers. However, premium content or“unlisted” may require special ways to access. Users may share a link totheir content via their social networking page allowing anyone to getthe content without needing to authenticate. On the other hand, aninvitation based content sharing can be used to restrict the access tothe shared content. Files meant only for predetermined devices (e.g.,automated software update) can require the predetermined devices tosatisfy certain minimum requirements (e.g., firmware update forparticular model of TV). Premium content such as digital rightsmanagement (DRM)-protected content can be shared in the P2P network onlyif all the members of a common group pass the security authenticationfor displaying such content. The social networking channel can beutilized not just by home users but by larger content providers to sharemovies or TV programs and generate advertising data based on user'shabits.

Thus, user content access behavior is based on video content and socialwebsite access through network-capable TVs. Those contents include: (1)local sharing by the home area network (e.g. through digital livingnetwork alliance (DLNA), playing on TVs video/audio contents stored inanother storage device such as a game console or PC); (2) free contentthat is accessed using Internet; (3) premium content for purchasing byuser remote click (e.g., Amazon, NetFlix, etc. which provide DRMencrypted premium content for streaming directly to P2P TVs).

The data mining engine accordingly compiles and analyzes these userbehaviors as well as the video/audio meta data (e.g., descriptions), sothat automatic contents can be generated/linked (such as news related tothe videos, stories and actors; new movie trailers falling in thepreviously purchased video category; new friends who also use the P2Pnetworks and have common interests with the user). The resultinginterest-based information can be published, obtained and exchangedthrough existing social network websites.

Accordingly, a relationship exists between user preferences mined asdescribed and the P2P network. Specifically, all P2P user preferencesare captured and shared (adhering to both auto-generated and userdefined rules if desired) in the distributed P2P network. In otherwords, TV systems 18 which connect to the Internet can automaticallylook for other P2P-enabled TVs and build/join an infrastructureless P2Pnetwork, such that no explicit Internet servers are required to maintainthose relationships. However, if desired centralized servers can be usedfor account management and content distribution purposes.

The P2P network can also be used to distribute large size premiumcontents to reduce server load. These contents can be streamed using P2Pamong users and can be cached locally for future P2P distributionpurposes. Other TV systems 18 can quickly gather these contents piece bypiece without going through a server, which nonetheless may still beused for DRM license management.

Consequently, most content can be openly shared between P2P networkmembers. However, for private/protected content, different models ofauthenticating and access permission may be established as describedabove. Private content can be either shared based on an explicitinvitation from the initial user who shares it or it could be based oncertain access criteria that a group satisfies (multicast content).Protected content (like DRM) requires proper certificates to get thecontent.

Accordingly, with the above in mind it may now be appreciated thatpresent principles provide TV system users with relevant contents, usedata mining algorithm to generate customized content and increasebusiness and revenue of web sites through target advertising, anddistribute large high definition and long-form contents with minimalbandwidth constraints using P2P technology such as Bit Torrent. Also,availability is provided to target audiences exactly when they need it(timely availability) and delivered exactly when they want it (on-demanddelivery). Furthermore, content is managed especially when a certainlevel of content security needs to be established due to the nature ofthe content, and users are engaged to share and invite more friends tojoin the P2P community. Web site “stickiness” is augmented to increaserevenue by monetizing replaceable content, and communities of P2P userscan create new channels and new forms of content.

While the particular SOCIAL NETWORKING AND PEER TO PEER FOR TVS isherein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that thesubject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limitedonly by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. System comprising at least one processoraccessing instructions on at least one computer storage to configure theprocessor to: execute a peer to peer (P2P) application promoting asocial network by allowing a device connecting to a network to sharecontent and create common interest channels with systems outside thehome network using P2P communication such that support from wide areanetwork infrastructure is not required; the P2P application allowingusers to join or leave the social network at will, wherein a participanttuning into a broadcast received by the system receives a video streamand also uploads the video stream using P2P communication to otherparticipants in the social network to facilitate the other participantswatching the program, wherein users in the social network provide a linkto their content via their social networking page allowing anyone to getfirst content without needing to authenticate such that the firstcontent is openly shared between peers, and wherein to share secondpremium content a user must send an invitation to other users to sharethe premium content to restrict access to the premium content, thepremium content being protected by digital rights management (DRM) beingshared in the social network only if all the users of a common group inthe social network pass DRM security authentication for displayingpremium content such that the social network is used not just by homeusers but also by relatively larger content providers to share movies orvideo programs and generate advertising data based on habits of users inthe social network.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor isin a TV.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is in a set boxhoused separately from a TV and connected thereto.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the instructions when executed by the processorconfigure the processor for accessing a data mining engine to generatetargeted advertising based on output from the data mining engine, theengine receiving user channel and web site selections.
 5. The system ofclaim 4, wherein a relationship exists between user selections and thesocial network in that P2P user preferences are captured and shared in adistributed social network.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein systemsconnecting to a wide area computer network automatically seek otherP2P-enabled systems and in concert therewith build/join aninfrastructureless P2P social network, such that no explicit Internetservers are required to maintain the social network.
 7. Systemcomprising at least one processor accessing instructions on at least onecomputer instruction device to connect to a wide area computer networkand automatically seek peer to peer (P2P)-enabled audio video systemsand in concert therewith build/join an infrastructureless P2P socialnetwork, such that no explicit Internet servers are required to maintainthe infrastructureless P2P social network, the system including at leastone display controlled by the processor, the instructions when executedby the processor configuring the processor for receiving userprogramming selections from a remote control, the instructions whenexecuted by the processor configuring the processor for executing a datamining engine to derive user preferences including one or more preferredvideo genre, the instructions when executed by the processor configuringthe processor for publishing the user preferences derived from the datamining engine as well as at least one existing audio video content ofthe user available to the processor in the infrastructureless P2P socialnetwork, the user preferences and content being published in meta dataformat to establish special personalized channels made to appear in a“content” section of a user interface presented on the display, whereinusers in the infrastructureless P2P social network provide a link totheir content via their social networking page allowing anyone to getfirst content without needing to authenticate such that the firstcontent is openly shared between peers, and wherein to share secondpremium content a user must send an invitation to other users to sharethe premium content to restrict access to the premium content, thepremium content being protected by digital rights management (DRM) beingshared in the infrastructureless P2P social network only if all theusers of a common group in the infrastructureless P2P social networkpass DRM security authentication for displaying premium content suchthat the infrastructureless P2P social network is used not just by homeusers but also by relatively larger content providers to share movies orvideo programs and generate advertising data based on habits of users inthe infrastructureless P2P social network.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configuring theprocessor to executes a P2P application promoting the infrastructurelessP2P social network by allowing a video device connecting to either ahome network or Internet to share content and create common interestchannels with systems outside the home network using P2P communicationsuch that support from wide area network infrastructure is not required;the P2P application allowing users to join or leave theinfrastructureless P2P social network at will, wherein a participanttuning into a broadcast received by the system receives a video streamand also uploads the video stream using P2P communication to otherparticipants in the infrastructureless P2P social network to facilitatethe other participants watching the program.
 9. The system of claim 7,wherein the processor is in a TV.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein theprocessor is in a set box housed separately from a TV and connectedthereto.
 11. The system of claim 7, the instructions when executed bythe processor configuring the processor for accessing a data miningengine to generate targeted advertising based on output from the datamining engine, the engine receiving user channel and web siteselections.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein a relationship existsbetween user selections and the infrastructureless P2P social network inthat P2P user preferences are captured and shared in a distributed P2Pnetwork.